soil salinity affects ions concentrationss of plant tissues and this may alter the merits quality of medicinal plants. experiments were conducted during 2003 at the the isfahan university of technology campus, isfahan, iran, to assess the effects of five soil salinity levels (3.2, 3.6, 4.5, 5.4 and 7.5 ds m-1) on na, k, and ca contents of borage and echium. each plant species was studied in a s...

Soil quality is an evolving concept intended to aid farmers, land managers, researchers, public decisionmakers, and others in the management of soil resources. The central question of soil quality assessment is “how does a soil function?” and a variety of physical, chemical, and biological indicators can be used to address it. This question, however, is complicated by the interdependencies betw...

Soil quality is not a purchased technology; instead, it is a concept that can be used in making land management decisions. Researchers have generally agreed upon the soil properties that determine soils’ capacity to function and have emphasized that soil quality must be understood in context. Soil quality research has included the following: (1) soil management research, where the effects of ma...

Soil quality indices can help ensure that site productivity and soil function are maintained. Biological indices yield evidence of how a soil functions and interacts with the plants, animals and climate that comprise an ecosystem. Soil scientists can identify and quantify both chemical and biological soil-quality indicators for ecosystems with a single main function, such as agricultural lands ...

Executive Summary Soil quality is an account of the soil's ability to provide ecosystem and social services through its capacities to perform its functions under changing conditions (after Tóth et al. 2007.) The concept of soil quality expressed by this definition allows practical applications with regards to targeted social and/or ecosystem services, including agri-environmental services. The ...